Pregnancy is not the time to worry about losing weight, no matter what your pre-pregnancy weight was. Nor is it the time to worry about spoiling your girlish figure. Once you become pregnant, your focus should be on gaining the recommended amount of weight and on living a healthier lifestyle for a healthy pregnancy. It is the time to eat healthy and stay fit, not skimp on calories. Your baby is constantly growing and needs constant nourishment. You can think about weight loss and reaching a healthier weight once your pregnancy is over and you have finished breastfeeding your baby.

Even when you are trying to conceive, it is advisable to stay away from extreme fad diets since you may not know you are pregnant immediately. Fad diets can be too low in the calories and essential nutrients you need from the very start of pregnancy. If you need to reach a healthier weight before pregnancy, do it by sticking to a low-fat, high-fiber, well-balanced diet and exercising regularly.

Dieting either before or during pregnancy can lead to nutritional deficiencies that can affect the proper development of your baby. Dieting by decreasing your caloric intake can lead to too-little weight gain during pregnancy, which can lead to problems such as premature labor and delivering a low birth-weight baby. Do not try to lose weight in order to keep from gaining too much during your pregnancy. Bigger women are unlikely to gain as much weight during pregnancy as smaller women might. Keep your weight gain to the advised levels, and do not try to lose weight!